Toilet case



Sept. 13, 1955 E. K. RENZ TOILET CASE Filed Oct. 7, 1950 IN VEN TOR.7n/f /a m2 L vBY *DWI @MZ/mf rorLEr CASE Emil K. Renz, Dedham, Mass.,assignor to Knight Leather Co., Jamaica Plain, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Application October 7, 1959, Serial No. 188,965

4 Claims. (Cl. 15G-44) The present invention relates to a fitted toiletor traveling case in which such things as combs, brushes, soap case,razor case, mirror, iles, etc., are held. Such cases are usually made offabric, leather and other materials with semi-stii top and bottom wallsand flexible side walls, and very often are closed by interlockingfasteners, as for example as illustrated by the patent to I. Schwartz,Patent No. 2,062,237, of which the present invention is an improvement.

In the patent above referred to, the bulk of the heavier toilet articlesare attached to the cover rather than the body of the case itself. Oneof the results of such an arrangement is that the base may readily standat right angles in an open position to the cover when the cover is lyingon a table or at horizontal surface. If, however, the base is to be putin the horizontal position on the table, then there would be a tendencyfor the cover to ap backwards or forwards and it would not readily standin an upright position. Even using an c. pty base and providing a flatend so that the base can stand on its end, it is diilicult to make astable structure.

In the present invention the applicant has devised means of constructionwhereby the cover will readily stand in an erect position without anyspecial means of support. However, special features of construction mustbe ernployed in order to accomplish this result, and these areincorporated in the present invention and will be more readily apparentfrom the description in the specification as set forth below when takenin connection with the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the samein which:

Figure l shows the toilet case in an open position with the basehorizontal and the cover projecting substantially vertically upwards orsloping slightly backwards.

Figure 2 shows in fragmentary section a slight modified construction ofthe arrangement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 shows a section taken along the lines 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 shows a section taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure 2.

In the arrangement indicated in Figures l and 3, the toilet case 1 whichmay be made of leather, fabric, or other similar material comprises abase 2 with attached side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6, and a cover member 7which is hinged to the side wall 4, by a exible hinge composed of fabricelements arranged and described as in the specification below. rThecover member 7 has a strip 8 attached around its periphery acting as aiiexible small wall to which is attached one half of the interlockingfastener Stringer 9 which includes the tape element 10 which is attachedto the strip 8. The individual interlocking fastener elements 11interlock with complementary fastener elements 12 of the stringer 13which has a tape 14 sewed to the edge of the walls 3, 4, 5 and 6. Theinterlocking stringers extend only to the corners 40 and 41 of the covermember and base. The stringers at 40 are joined by stitching, orotherwise, and at 41 by a bridge stop 42 'so that the Stringer lines atthe edges 43 and 44 are contmuous, and likewise at the edges 45 and 46.

In the case as shown in the Figures l and 3, the heavler rates Patent Office elements as for instance the brushes, cases for tooth paste,shaving cream, razor, etc., fit into the base section 2 while thelighter units such as comb, tile, mirror, etc., it into the cover 7.

One of the features of the present invention is that the cover member 7will keep a vertical position when the case is placed on a levelsurface. This is true even though the cover member 7 is quite freely andloosely hinged to the side wall 4.

Referring more particularly to Figure 3 and also to Figure 1, it will benoted that the cover member 7 has a fabric or leather inner face 15, orother suitable material, with corner pieces 16 each of which have thegeneral shape of a crescent (Figure l) which extend from one side of thecover member 7 around the end of the wall 4 at the corner where thewalls 4 and 5 join one another in one case, and 4 and 3 join one anotherin the other case. Each corner piece or corner element 16 is stitchedboth to the cover member 7 and to the wall 4 of the base by stitching1S. Each corner piece 16 is positioned so that it comes very close tothe interlocking fastener stringers 9 and 13 at the corners of thehinge. Each corner piece 16 in this position tends to stiffen the hingeat the corners and offers tension against the bending back of the covermember. A further feature of this construction is that the stringers 9and 13 are carried just to and terminate at the corners 40 and 41 wherethe sides formed by wall 5 and strip 8, and wall 3 and strip 8respectively terminate; but are not carried inwardly along the top jointwhere the hinge of the cover member 7 on the wall 4 is effected. Thistogether with the positioning of the crescent shaped corner pieces 16right at the corners of the hinge aid in preventing the opening of thecase beyond the particular position as shown in Figure 1. An additionalaid in preventing the opening of the case beyond the particular positionshown in Figure 1 however is obtained through the construction which isshown in Figures l and 3 and partly in Figure 2, which is a slightmodification of the invention, but has the same features as themodification of Figures 1 and 3.

In this construction of Figures 2, 4 and 5 the sidewall 4 in back of theleather cover 19 is provided with two card board strips 20 and 21between which is fixed a fabric or leather sheet 22. The elements 20, 21and 22 may be cemented or stitched together. The flexible fabric strip22 extends upward into the cover member 7 as shown at 23. The lower endof the fabric 22 extends into the base 2 underneath the cardboard member20a. This strip is shown in dotted outline in Figure l. The inner faceof the cover member, which is a continuation of the member 19, is backedby a stiff cardboard sheet 24 to which the fabric strip 22 is sewed,sealed or attached in some suitable manner. This sheet 24 of stifffabric, cardboard or other suitable material is spaced from the top edgeof the stiff strips and 21 a slight distance along its mid-section asindicated in Figure 3, but at the end edges the stiff sheet 24 iscontinued down to the top edge of the stiff strips 20 and 21 in the endprojecting section 25. The section 25 may extend for a considerabledistance in from the end wall, and where the stiff cardboard sheet doesextend to the top of the strips 20 and 21, the entire space in the hingesection is lled within that region.

In the back of the fabric sheet 22 is a second fabric sheet member 26which covers the fabric sheet 22 on the outside, extending downward onthe outside of the lower wall 4 covering the stiff cardboard strip 21 onthe outer side and, also extending under the base 2. This sheet member26 may be stitched or sewed in any suitable Externally of this is andthe base 2. The arrangement of the fabric sheet member 26, extending andcovering the outside of the cardboard strips 24 and 21A and-the fabricstrip 22 which also covers the cardboard strip 24 and extends betweenthe cardboard strips or members and 21, serves to provide a greatertension to the inner fabric sheets 22 than to the outer fabric sheetmember 26 and cover 27; In this way as the top tends to bend backwards,the double fabric sheet 22 and member 26 are tensioned to prevent` thetop from swinging further backwards. The cover member is` also keptlfrom swinging far back by the fact that the projecting end of thecardboard strip 24 jamsy against the top of the cardboard strips 20 and21. The effect is that the cover member T bends over easily to theposition shown in Figures 1 and'3 and then will stayin this positionunless deformed or forced further back. The arrangement servesthereforeto-position a mirror attached to the cover in a desired and advantageousposition and is a distinct advantage over the arrangement where the boxportion of the case stands in an upright position, since under thelatter arrangement the mirror is partially concealed by the side wallsof the box.

A slight modication of the arrangement described in connection withFigures 1 and 3 is shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5. In Figure 2 the backwall 4' of thev base has attached to the cardboard strip 20', a stiffcovered face member or wall member 23 which has an edge contour as shownby the heavy line 29. At the left of Figure 2 it will be noticed thatthis face member has an upper longitudinally extending section whichcomes up against the slide fastener Stringer 31, thereby holding orforcing the Stringer outwardly to the side of the casing. The wallmember 28 is stitched around its peripheral edge by stitching 32 whichfollows closely the edge contour 29 of the strip. The purpose of thisstrip is to provide a stiff face at the corners where the interlockingstringers 31 and 33 come together. The Stringer fastener 34 is such thatit extends just inward of the corner, but not suficiently to permit anymovement or play transversely in the hinge between the top stringer andthe bottom stringer. ln order for the top to fold completely ack, itwould be necessary to carry the stringers inwardly a slight distancealong the top ofthe back wall 4 and the adjoining edge of the cover 15.By terminatingl the stringers just at the corners, the Stringer membersthemselves provide the necessary tautness in the joint which also aidsin preventing the top cover from being bent far back.

The arrangements shown in Figures 4 and 5 are cross sections on asmaller scale than the front view of the construction as shown in Figure2. The only difference between the construction of Figure 2 and that ofFigures l and 3 is the addition of the stilf wall member 28 which,asshown in Figure 5, is mounted on the face of the cardboard strip 20.The wall member 28 is covered over by the inner face covering 15 whichextends from the inside of the cover downward over the backwall 4 to thebase of the case. ln back of the stiff wall member 28 are extensions 36from the side walls 3 and 5 which are held by stitching 32` (Figure 2).

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. A toilet case comprising a bottom wall member with surrounding side,rear and front walls and a cover member, means forming a hinge for thecover member to the rear wall, including a plurality of stiff cardmembers in the rear wall, a stili cardboard member in the cover member,a fabric sheet extending upwards between the card members in the rearwall and against the outer side of the stiff cardboardl member in thecover member, continuous covering sheets of exible material both on theoutside and the inside of the cover member and rear wall, aninterlocking fastener closure having Stringer members, one extending allaround the walls from one side of the hinge to the other side-thereofand the other Stringer extending around the covermember, and meansattaching the stringers together at the junction of the cover member andthe rear wall on both sides of the hinge at the corners where the rearwall and cover member meet.

2. A toilet case comprising a bottom wall member with surrounding side,rear and front walls and a cover member, means forming a hinge for thecover member to the rear wall including a plurality of stiff cardmembers in the rear wall, a stiff cardboard member in the cover member,a fabric sheet extending upwards between the card members in the rearwall and against the outer side of the stiff cardboard member in thecover member, outer covering flexible members on both the outer face ofthe cover member and rear wall and the inner face of the same elements,an interlocking fastener closure having Stringer members, one extendingall around the side rear and front walls from one side of the hingetothe other side thereof and the other Stringer extending around thecover member, means slidably locking the Stringer members together,means permanently attaching the Stringer members together at thejunction of the cover member and the rear wall on both sides of thehinge at the corners where the rear wall and cover member meet, and areinforcing flexible corner element having one corner extending againstthe extremity of the cover member atone side near the hinge and theother corner extending against the extremity of the rear wall near thehinge.

3. A toilet case comprising a bottom wall member with surrounding sidewalls and a cover member hinged at one side to one of said side walls, aplurality of flexible covering members extending over the outer andinner facesof the cover member and side wall hinged to the cover, aplurality of stiff cardboard sheets within the faces of the cover memberand the side wall to which the cover is hinged, said sheets spaced fromeach other along the hinge except for the region near the corners Wherethe edges come close together, an interlocking fastener closure havingStringer members, one extending all around the walls from one side ofthe hinge to the other side thereof and the other Stringer extendingaround the cover, andy means attaching the stringers together at thejunction of the cover and the side walls on both sides of the hingeatthe corners where the side walls and cover meet.

4. A toilet case comprising a bottom wall member with surrounding sidewalls and a cover member hinged at one side to one of said side walls, aplurality of flexible covering members extending over the outer andinner faces of the cover member and side wall adjacent the cover member,a stili cardboard sheet within the covering faces of the cover memberand heavier cardboard sheets within the adjacent hinged side wall, saidsheets spaced from each other along the hinge formed by the cover memberand side wall except for the region near the corners where the edgescome close together, an interlocking fastener closure having Stringermembers, one extending all around the walls from one side of the hingeto the other side thereof and the other Stringer extending around thecover member, and means attaching the stringers together at theVjunction of the cover member and the side walls on both sides of thehinge at the corners where the side walls andl cover member meet.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,919,012 Diskin July 18, 1933 2,038,319 Stanley Apr. 21, 1936 2,062,237Schwartz Nov. 24, 1936I 2,092,834 Doppelt Sept. 14, 1937 2,146,657Stanley Feb. 7, 1939 2,167,926 Glasket Aug. 1, 1.939 2,191,557 ClineFeb. 27, 1940- 2,282,408 Lowe May 12, 1942 2,335,898 Arnold Dec. 7.,1943 2,413,465 Ohlsen Dec. 31, 1946

